Page 42 of Fetch Me A Mate (Shifter Mates of Hollow Oak #1)

ROWAN

T he Hearth & Hollow Inn officially reopened on a crisp November evening, exactly one week after Diana said yes to his proposal. Rowan stood in the lobby, watching the final preparations with the satisfaction of a man whose work was finally, completely done.

Diana moved through the space with quiet efficiency, adjusting lanterns and checking that every surface gleamed. The ring on her finger caught the light as she worked, a constant reminder that she'd chosen forever with him.

"Nervous?" Miriam asked, appearing beside him with a silver tray.

"Should I be?"

"Only if you're not ready to share her with the rest of Hollow Oak." Miriam's smile was fond. "Tonight she becomes the official heart of this community. That's a big responsibility."

"She can handle it."

"I know she can. Question is whether you can handle being the innkeeper's husband."

Rowan watched Diana straighten a picture frame with the same care she brought to everything important. "I'll learn."

"Good answer."

The first guests arrived at six. Tom with his camera, documenting the historic reopening for the Hollow Oak Gazette.

Edgar and Rufus Tansley brought bottles of multiple potions and drinks.

Freya and Kieran appeared with armloads of flowering branches that smelled of spring despite the November cold.

"Where do you want these?" Kieran asked, hefting a particularly large arrangement.

"Wherever Freya thinks they'll do the most good," Diana replied. "She understands the inn's energy better than I do."

Freya began placing the branches around the room with careful deliberation. Where her hands touched, the flowers seemed to glow with their own inner light.

"Magic?" Rowan asked quietly.

"Just a little blessing. For prosperity, protection, happiness." Freya's green eyes sparkled. "The kind of magic that makes a house feel like home."

More guests arrived in steady streams. Luka and Leenah from the woodworking shop. Cora and Callum, the ranger carrying a bottle of champagne that looked older than the inn itself. Maeve swept in wearing a rare smile, followed by half the Silver Fang's regular customers.

"Hell of a turnout," Maeve observed, surveying the crowded lobby.

"Hell of an innkeeper," Rowan replied.

"That she is. You picked well, wolf."

"She picked me."

"Even better."

By seven, the lobby buzzed with conversation and laughter. Twyla had commandeered the parlor, setting up a punch bowl that drew people like moths to flame. Her eyes were suspiciously bright as she ladled drinks into cups.

"Are you crying?" Diana asked, accepting a cup of punch.

"I'm emotional," Twyla corrected. "There's a difference."

"About what?"

"About watching someone find exactly where they belong. About seeing love win over fear. About knowing this place will be taken care of for another generation." Twyla wiped her eyes with a lace handkerchief. "Plus, I'm getting old and sentimental."

"You're not old."

"Old enough to remember when this inn was just an idea. When Miriam and Henry first talked about creating something lasting. And to know that it’s been five years since we had our last big ordeal and everything that’s happened, well this just seems fitting and even more sure that this is where you both belong.

" Twyla pressed the ladle into Diana's hands.

"Now it's your turn to take on the heart of this place. "

At eight, Miriam called for attention. The crowd quieted, faces turning toward where she stood by the reception desk.

"Friends," she began, her voice carrying easily through the room. "Tonight we celebrate more than the reopening of an inn. We celebrate the continuation of a promise."

"What kind of promise?" called Edgar from the back.

"The promise that there will always be a place in Hollow Oak where people can find shelter, warmth, and belonging. Where strangers become friends and the lost find their way home."

Miriam picked up a set of keys from the desk, the brass worn smooth by decades of use. "Diana Merrick, these keys have opened doors for countless guests, provided sanctuary for those who needed it, and kept this community's heart beating for forty years."

She placed the keys in Diana's hands with ceremony befitting a crown. "I pass them to you with my blessing, my gratitude, and my absolute confidence that you'll honor the trust they represent."

"Thank you," Diana said simply. "For everything."

"Thank you for accepting the responsibility. For proving that home isn't about where you come from, but where you choose to belong."

Applause filled the lobby, warm and genuine. Callum raised his champagne bottle, catching everyone's attention.

"To Diana and Rowan," he said, his voice carrying the authority of someone used to being heard. "Welcome home, both."

"Welcome home!" echoed through the room as glasses clinked and smiles bloomed.

"Speech!" Tom called out, his camera ready.

"No speeches," Diana laughed. "Just celebration."

"Dance!" Twyla suggested. "We need music and dancing."

"I don't dance," Rowan said immediately.

"Neither do I," Diana added.

"Tonight you do," Kieran declared. "Inn reopenings require at least one dance."

Freya hummed something low and sweet, her voice carrying the magic of growing things and new beginnings. Others joined in, creating harmony that seemed to lift the very air.

Diana looked at Rowan expectantly. "Well?"

"I'm going to be terrible at this."

"I know."

"You're going to laugh."

"Probably."

"And you still want to?"

"Especially because you'll be terrible." Diana held out her hand. "Come on, contractor. Dance with your innkeeper."

Rowan took her hand, drawing her into the small space that had been cleared near the fireplace. He had no idea what he was doing, no sense of rhythm or grace. But Diana fit perfectly in his arms, and when she laughed at his clumsy attempts to follow the music, the sound was worth any embarrassment.

"You're right," she whispered against his ear. "You're terrible at this."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I love that you're trying."

They swayed together, not really dancing so much as holding each other while music played around them. The inn hummed with life and laughter, filled with people who'd chosen to call it home.

"Any regrets?" Diana asked as the song wound down.

"About what?"

"Staying. Fighting. Choosing this life instead of running away."

Rowan looked around the lobby at faces lit with happiness, at the inn that had transformed into their sanctuary, at the woman in his arms who'd taught him what home really meant.

"None," he said firmly. "No regrets at all."

"Good. Because I plan on keeping you busy. This place has a lot of creaks that need fixing."

"I'll fix every one that isn't useful for eavesdropping."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The music shifted to something slower, more intimate. Around them, other couples began dancing while children chased each other between the adults' legs. The inn had become exactly what Diana had envisioned: a place where community gathered, where joy was shared, where everyone belonged.

They danced until the music faded and guests began drifting toward coats and goodbyes. The inn slowly emptied, leaving Diana and Rowan alone in the glow of Freya's enchanted flowers.

"So," Diana said, surveying the successful aftermath. "We did it."

"We did."

"The inn is officially reopened, the community approves, and we're engaged to be married in spring."

"Sounds about right."

Diana moved into his arms one more time, her head finding its natural place against his shoulder. "What happens now?"

"Now we live happily ever after."

"Is it really that simple?"

Rowan looked around the inn that had become their kingdom, at the woman who'd become his everything, at the future spreading out before them like an unwritten story.

"Yeah," he said, meaning it completely. "It really is."

Outside, snow began to fall again. Inside, the Hearth & Hollow Inn glowed warm and welcoming, ready to shelter whoever needed sanctuary.

Home, Rowan thought as he held his mate close. Finally, completely, permanently home.